Bill Warner may be best known as the tireless founder and organizer of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, but his résumé goes far beyond this. He’s been an automotive journalist, a race car driver (and Road Racing Driver’s Club inductee), a business owner, a car collector and a vehicle restorer, to name but a few of the hats he’s worn over the decades. On June 4, Bill adds one more line to his CV, when he’ll act as Grand Marshal for the 30th annual Classic Car Club of America (CCCA) Museum Experience Concours d’Elegance, held on the grounds of the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan.

Open to all cars defined as Full Classics (a list that includes a specific set of cars, both domestic and foreign), it’s a given that the event will play host to a magnificent gathering of automobiles. In general terms, the CCCA defines Classics and Full Classics as “…fine or unusual motor cars which were built between and including the years 1915 to 1948. All of these are very special cars that are distinguished by their respective fine design, high engineering standards and superior workmanship.” The organization’s latest list of approved Classics can be found at ClassicCarClub.org.

The 2016 30th Anniversary CCCA Museum Experience includes a driving tour and barbecue on Friday, June 3; a judged Concours d’Elegance open to all Full Classics on Saturday, June 4; and a car show on Sunday, June 5, that will feature past award-winning Senior Classic cars. Over 2,000 vehicles will be invited to attend Sunday’s event, which also marks the 30th anniversary of the dedication of the Barrett Barn Museum Building on the Gilmore Museum campus, home of the CCCA Museum collection. Event organizers hope to host the largest gathering of CCCA Senior cars in one place at one time.

In addition to walking the CCCA Museum Experience show field on Saturday, Bill will present on “The Cuban Car Culture” at Saturday night’s awards dinner, held at the Radisson Plaza in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Bill has traveled to Cuba a total of four times between 2009 and 2015, meeting with enthusiasts and seeking out stories of classic car salvation and preservation.

Bill’s own event, the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, celebrated its 20th year in 2016. Since its founding, the event has donated over $2 million to local charities supporting a variety of causes, and the show itself has won a variety of accolades, including the Motorsport Event of the Year Award, presented by the International Historic Motoring Awards in 2013.

For more information on the 2016 Classic Car Club of America Museum Experience, visit CCCAMuseum.org.

Gary G.says:

May 6, 2016 2:17 pm

Wow…no comments yet from the east coast. As I was reading this I was wondering if interest in these cars has sadly decreased. Clearly, they are some of the most magnificent machines ever created by man but I can’t help but notice that they are usually owned and displayed by folks that are 60 or older. Not that that’s a bad thing but it is what it is. I know this topic has been discussed here before but I wonder what the future of events like this that restrict the entries to these type of cars will be in the future. Does anyone know what the attendance year to year at this event has been ? Anyway, if the guage of the amount of interest here compared to the MB 600 and the Ford pop top van is any indication, It may be sliding down.